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National Space Defense Force
The National Space Defense Force is the American space-based military in the Battlezone setting, and exists in secret. History Founded in 1958 by United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the NSDF was formed secretly in tandem with NASA to counter the Soviet Union's own attempts to utilize the V-M32 ore that was delivered by the 1952 meteor shower. It's purpose was to head and protect the American assets in space from potential attack and to gather as much ore as they could while denying the Soviets as much as possible. For the first year of existence, it's total force consisted of only 1,000 covertly recruited engineers and military personnel, gathered under the auspices of NASA. Their first act was to use the newly designed transport vessels utilizing metamaterial V-M32 designs and found a military base on the dark side of the moon, known as Eagles Nest One. From here, they began to establish their foothold and construct newer designs under the heading of General George Collins and with the assistance of Dr. Wilhelm Arkin. During the course of the Cold War, the NSDF engages the Cosmo Colonist Army on several occasions. Organization Technology Cannons, anti-tank M73X Machine Gun The M73X is a close cousin to the M73 machine gun and uses a similar build, adapted to work with coilgun mechanics rather than traditional gunpowder ammunition. It is a rapid-fire small projectile weapon primarily serving as an anti-infantry weapon or defence against fast-moving targets. *Rate of fire: 1,100 RPM *Effective range: 1,370 meters *Maximum range: 3,000 metres *CCA Counterpart: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GShG-7.62_machine_gun) GShG-CSR rotary machine gun AT-Stabber The AT-Stabber (short for Anti-Tank Stabber) fires a high-speed, low-impact shell. It, like much of the NSDF equipment, was adapted from older designs rather than scratch-built. As with the M73X, the AT-Stabber used a series of electromagnetic coils to launch it's shells. *Calibre: 90 mm *Rate of fire: 24 RPM *Effective range: 3,900 metres *Maximum range: 10,000 meters *CCA Counterpart: N/A HMAT-Stabber A heavier model of the normal AT-Stabber, the HMAT-Stabber (short for Heavy Munitions Anti-Tank Stabber) fires a heavier HEAT shells than it's lighter, HE-firing sibling. Additional range is garnered through swapping out the magnetic coils for a railgun. *Calibre: 105 mm *Rate of fire: 10 RPM *Effective range: 5,000 metres *Maximum range: 17,830 meters *CCA Counterpart: N/A MAG (Magnetic Acceleration Gun) The MAG Cannon is a charging magnetic acceleration gun that fires highly condensed balls of magnetic energy. This weapon has a maximum range of 250 meters. *Cost per Shot: Various *Damage: **1st few charges: Light **Next few charges: Medium **Final 2 charges: Heavy *Speed: Fast on low charges, Medium at higher ones. *Range: 250 meters max. *CCA Counterpart: N/A Beam Blast Cannon The Blast Cannon delivers a short but powerful laser beam burst that does tremendous damage to enemy armor. The energy needed to create the laser requires a great deal of nano-ammo. For this reason, the Blast Cannon is best utilized by Gun Towers. *Cost per shot: 75 ammo units. *Damage: Heavy. *Speed: Instantanious. *Range: 300 Meters*NSDF Counterpart: Guntower Blast Cannon Flash Cannon The Flash Cannon, often referred to as the "Hot Foot," fires a concentrated beam of microwave energy at its target. The microwave energy causes the target vehicle's v-thruster engine to overheat (making it prime for hornet missle locks) *Cost per Second?: 100 ammo units. *Damage: Exremely light, broken in Battlezone 1.4 Patch *Speed: Instantanious. *Range: 98 meters*CCA Counterpart: N/A Bolt Buddy This alien weapon was nick named the 'Bolt Buddy' by NSDF soldiers terrified of its effects. It fires a bolt of electricity at its target in quick succession, electricuting the target to a point of destruction. Used by the furies exclusively, unless a powerup is found... *Cost per Shot: 20 ammo units *Damage: Medium *Speed: Instantanious. *Range: 150 meters*CCA/NSDF Counterpart: No. =Mortars=These are the only weapon that when fired, travel in an arc in front of your ship. Some detonate right away and some have different effects. All deliver massive damage. Standard Mortar The mortar fires in an arced trajectory. The ordnance will explode on contact with any object and inflict collateral damgage throughout its five meter blast radius. *Cost per Shot: 50 ammo units *Damage: Medium-light *Speed: Medium *Range: Various.*Difficulty to use: Medium Manual Detonation Mortar (MDM) The MDM fires like a standard mortar; however, it does not detonate on impact with terrain. The MDM will only detonate if it collides with an enemy vehicle or if the pilot presses the fire button a second time, thereby setting off the charge. The MDM is designed to bounce or richochet in order to allow the pilot more exact placement before detonating. Multiple MDMs may be fired by pressing the Ctrl key when firing. *Cost per Shot: 30 ammo units *Damage: Medium *Speed: Medium *Range: Various.*Difficulty to use: Medium The Splinter (Death Wheel) The Splinter detonates upon contact with enemy vehicles and does normal mortar damage. Should the splinter miss its target however, all is not lost. The ordnance will raise itself up into the air and fire circular bursts of .72mm AP projectiles. *Cost per Shot: 30 ammo units *Damage: Medium-Heavy (Heavy when dropped close to enemy base buildings in groups) *Speed: Medium (fast spin) *Range: Various.*Difficulty to use: Easy Pop Gun When fired, a popper travels straight up to an altitude of 200 meters. It then locks onto the nearest enemy target and comes down again propelled by its rocket guidance system. *Cost per Shot: 50 ammo units *Damage: Medium when volleyed in groups *Speed: Fast *Range: 100 meters*Difficulty to use: Easy Howitzer Not a weapon that can be mounted on a ship, but the mortar used by the deadly Howitzer turrets. Alone, it is not very dangerous, but when multiple units are shelling a single target, the collateral damage from them and the impact of multiple shells will cause devastation to an enemy base. *Cost per Shot: 20 ammo units *Damage: Light alone, Heavy in volleys. *Speed: Medium *Range: Extremely long (approx 500-1000 meters depending on unit position)*Difficulty to use: Very Hard (Only AI can get desired effect) Day Wrecker (Fired by the Armory) The Day Wrecker is the most powerful artillery available. The Day Wrecker has a range of 1500 meters. It will explode when it comes within 20 meters of the ground with a devastating shock wave 50 meters in diameter. *Cost per Shot: 20 scrap pieces. *Damage: Light to target, Medium to surroundings (The day wrecker supplied with 1.4 patch is a dud) *Speed: Fast-Extremely Slow depending on location of target. *Range: Map wide*Difficulty to use: Point and click. The only real difficulty might be gathering enough scrap to fire it, getting a well fortified target, or killing enough of your braincells to make you use this weapon in the first place. =Rockets=Rockets come in two types: Locking and Non-Locking. Locking missiles must be locked in order to fire, and non-locking are dumbfired. All types are rather deadly, however. Locking Rockets (Usually called missiles) Thermal Hornet The Thermal Hornet's Sensors lock onto the thermal signature of an enemy ship. Armed with a combustion, shard-scattering warhead, the Hornet is designed to explode on impact spraying the target with shrapnel. Any vehicle within five meters of the blast will also take damage. Especially effective against fast-moving vehicles with hot engines. *Cost per shot: 125 ammo units *Damage: Medium *Speed: Slow *Range: 10 seconds of fuel*Diverted by: Solar flare, Nav Camera, Phantom VIR (possibly a glitch) Image Locking Shadower Missile The ILS Missle locks onto the visual image of its targets. It works best on slow-moving targets, complementing the Thermal Hornet well. *Cost per shot: 25 ammo units *Damage: Light *Speed: Fast *Range: 8 seconds of fuel*Diverted by: Phantom VIR, RED Field, well placed NAV camera. Comet Cruise Missile The comet Cruise Missile is a radar guided missile that can lock onto any target as long as it is within radar range. *Cost per shot: 1000 ammo units *Damage: Devastating *Speed: Slow *Range: 20 seconds of fuel*Diverted by: RED Field, Running away, shooting it down (be far from it when shooting). Automated Targeting Gun (TAG Cannon) The Automated Targeting Gun or TAG Cannon has two phases. In the first phase it shoots a homing ordnance into the skin of the target craft. If the first round hits its mark, the TAG Cannon unleashes a salvo of guided missiles that will head toward the homing signal. *Cost per shot: 10 ammo units *Cost per Salvo: 100 ammo units *Damage (per salvo): Medium *Speed: Medium-Fast *Range: 4 seconds of fuel *Diverted by: Dodging lock, well placed NAVs.*Notes: As the book was written before the game was complete, it shows TAG as a cannon. It was changed to a rocket class in the released game and will be referred to here as such. Dumbfire Rockets Rocket Bomb All of the fancy electronic components were stripped out of a Thermal Hornet casing to make room for even more explosives. The result was the Rocket Bomb, a heavy, slow moving rocket that has given up speed and finesse for one heck of a punch. *Cost per shot: 50 ammo units *Damage: Heavy (usually in pairs) *Speed: Medium*Range: 300 meters Sand Bag Missile The Sand Bag Missile is a non-locking missile. When the Sand Bag Missile strieks its target it deploys a magnetic anchoring device that will slow the targeted ship down. This missile is designed to allow slower, less maneuverable vehicles to pin down fast-moving craft. *Cost per shot: 5 ammo units *Damage: Extremely Light *Speed: Medium*Range: 150 meters WASP Missile The Furies used this missile against CCA and NSDF forces. If an enemy ship is targeted, the WASP will automatically track it when fired with no locking necessary. It will also damage hull and surroundings heavilly, and seemingly chase you down forever. *Cost per shot: 100 ammo units *Damage: Heavy *Speed: Medium *Range: Till it hits you*Notes: Will track you without lock required. If not targeted, the wasp will simply bounce off of anything without detonating (until it reaches its lifespan). MAS Grenade A weapon that will temporarily change an enemy's team to your own. You will not be able to control them, but they will still fight for you. If an enemy production unit is under the influence, whatever it is constructing will be built to your team. ANYTHING except other players can be MAS Grenade targets. Even though an official powerup and weapon file for it exist, it is not seen anywhere in raw form in the stock game; probably due to it not being completed (the code was almost finished but still had some bugs), unbalancing gameplay, or being next to useless in a multiplayer game. *Cost per shot: 100 ammo units *Damage: Extremely Light *Speed: Medium *Range: 250 meters*Notes: Only found on custom maps, be it instant action or strategy. Useless in deathmatch. =Specials=These are weapons that do not fall into the other categories above. They come in two forms, mine and other. Neither form actually has any direct-combat role. Mines M-Curtain Mine (Magnetic Curtain Mine) The M-Curtain is a specialized mine designed to produce a localized field of extreme magnetism. Once the mine is launched it imbeds itself into the terrain. One second after it imbeds into the ground, it starts to generate a bubble of magnetism that is 20 meters in diameter and three meters tall. No projectile can penetrate the magnetic bubble, however, vehicles under the bubble can fire out. *Cost per shot: 50 ammo units *Counter: Beams go through it, and so do fast moving ships. *Length of use: 60 seconds*Range: 20 meters all around (3 upwards) Solar Flare The Solar Flare is a specially modified mine that will produce a plume of fire burning at high temperature for a short period of time. The flare gives off a thermal signature that will attract heat-seeking projectiles within 200 meters of it. *Cost per shot: 100 ammo units *Damage: Heavy if you sit in it. *Length: 10 seconds*Range: N/A MITS (Magnetic Inverting Tethering Snare) The MITS or "catcher's mitt" is a modified M-Curtain Mine. Instead of pushing outward with magnetic force the MITS does exactly the opposite - pulling anything towards itself with incredible force. MITS will also attract any projectile within 200 meters. *Cost per shot: 50 ammo units *Counter: Beams go through it, fast moving ships with enough momentum break from it, avoidance. *Length of use: 15 seconds*Range: 20 meters all around. Proximity Mine A standard mine that detonates when an enemy vehicle enters its detection range. The mine does not become armed until two seconds after it is placed in the ground. Once the mine is armed, any enemy vehicle that gets within seven meters of the mine will activate it. *Cost per shot: 200 ammo units *Damage: Heavy *Length: 300 seconds.*Range: 7 meters. Other RED-Field Generator (Radar Echo Dampening Field Generator) The RED-Field Generator completely removes the ship's echo signature from all radar while selected. All weapons that requre a radar signal to lock will not be able to target or track the ship once the RED-Field generator is activated. *Cost per Second: 20 ammo units*Counter: You must depend on a visual. Phantom VIR The Phantom VIR will render your craft invisible by bending light waves around your craft. However, it will not mask your shadow, V-Thruster exhaust, or dust from said exhaust. Radar systems can also detect you, although image-seeking missles will not be able to lock onto you. *Cost per Second: 20 ammo units*Counter: All missles except comet will lose lock (bug, hornet should keep lock). Sensory Image Terrain Exposing Camera (SITE Camera) The SITE Camera is an x-ray device that allows a pilot to see through terrain. The device has a range of 100 meters. Any terrain feature outside the camera's range will not become transparant. *Cost per Second: 10 ammo units *Range of use: 100 meters (hardcoded)*Usefullness: Using ordinary radar, this camera becomes obsolete. Thumper No one is exactly sure how the Thumper device works. It is believed that raw energy is extracted from nano-amm and channeled directly into the ground like a concentrated seismic charge. The result is a shock-wave that distorts the terrain it travels accoss. *Cost per shot: 200 ammo units *Damage: Apparently none, yet will flip enemy ships (and walkers) like tops. The golem will go spinning completely uncontrollably. *Speed: Slow, but medium and large wave once it gets going.*Range: Unmeasurable (10 seconds?) All information taken from either the NSDF Field Briefing Guide, game ODFs, game INFs, or made by the editor (for when information is unavailable). Forces M580A2 Scout, M47A9 Light Tank, M60A8 Rocket Tank, M60A7 Main Battle Tank, B74CT Bomber, M173 Turret, AAV6A4 APC Transport, M183A1 Howitzer, AT9 Walker, LMA6 Minelayer, VS3E Reclamation Unit, Cargo Utility Tug, TU11, TU12, TU8, TU15 Category:Factions Category:Battlezone Category:NSDF